I'd like to start by offering a warm welcome to all here today. I'm sure it will be considerably warmer than the conditions we faced down in Redruth last Saturday!

It was always going to be a tough away fixture both mentally and physically and it certainly wasn't made any easier by howling winds and driving rain.

It was testament again to how this squad continues to pull together. Coming off the back of a lackluster performance against Cinderford it would have been easy to fold against an aggressive redruth outfit who were worryingly comfortable in such appalling conditions. The most pleasing aspect for me was to see our pack answer its critics. I have long over heard conversations in the bar and from other player/coaches in this league saying how we're going to struggle when the weather turns as we don't have a big enough pack to grind out wins. Well if any of the coaches/players are watching the video of Saturday's game I would be keen to hear their thoughts! We dominated the upfront battle with dynamic forward play that Redruth simply could not handle. Roll on the bad weather I say.

Today we welcome Otley to the athletic ground. I've had many a tough encounter with Otley from my days with Worcester and they're always a tough team to beat. A gritty set of forwards and a useful backline will mean we again need to produce our best rugby.

Captain's Corner - November 14th 2009